Original: That you may well perceive I have not wrong’d you,
Modern: So you can clearly see that I haven’t harmed you,

Original: One of the greatest in the Christian world
Modern: One of the most powerful rulers in all of Christendom

Original: Shall be my surety; ‘fore whose throne ‘tis needful,
Modern: Will guarantee my promise; and I need to kneel before his throne

Original: Ere I can perfect mine intents, to kneel.
Modern: Before I can complete my plans.

Original: Time was I did him a desired office,
Modern: There was a time when I did him a great favor,

Original: Dear almost as his life; which gratitude
Modern: Something he valued almost as much as his own life; and his gratitude

Original: Through flinty Tartar’s bosom would peep forth,
Modern: Would touch even the hardest, most savage heart,

Original: And answer, thanks. I duly am inform’d
Modern: And make them say “thank you.” I’ve been properly told

Original: His Grace is at Marseilles; to which place
Modern: His Majesty is in Marseilles; and to that place

Original: We have convenient convoy. You must know,
Modern: We have good transportation. You should know

Original: I am supposed dead: the army breaking,
Modern: Everyone thinks I’m dead: when the army disbanded,

Original: My husband hies him home; where, heaven aiding,
Modern: My husband rushed home; where, with heaven’s help,

Original: And by the leave of my good lord the king,
Modern: And with permission from my good lord the king,

Original: We’ll be before our welcome.
Modern: We’ll arrive before we’re expected.

Original: Nor you, mistress,
Modern: And you, my lady,

Original: Ever a friend whose thoughts more truly labour
Modern: Have never had a friend who works harder in their thoughts

Original: To recompense your love. Doubt not but heaven
Modern: To repay your kindness. Don’t doubt that heaven

Original: Hath brought me up to be your daughter’s dower,
Modern: Has raised me up to be your daughter’s fortune,

Original: As it hath fated her to be my motive
Modern: Just as it has destined her to be my motivation

Original: And helper to a husband. But, O strange men!
Modern: And my helper in winning a husband. But oh, how strange men are!

Original: That can such sweet use make of what they hate,
Modern: That they can take such pleasure in what they claim to hate,

Original: When saucy trusting of the cozen’d thoughts
Modern: When bold confidence in deceived thoughts

Original: Defiles the pitchy night: so lust doth play
Modern: Corrupts the dark night: this is how lust plays

Original: With what it loathes for that which is away.
Modern: With what it despises, longing for what’s not there.

Original: But more of this hereafter. You, Diana,
Modern: But I’ll say more about this later. You, Diana,

Original: Under my poor instructions yet must suffer
Modern: Following my simple instructions, must still endure

Original: Something in my behalf.
Modern: Some hardship for my sake.

Original: Yet, I pray you:
Modern: But still, I ask you:

Original: But with the word the time will bring on summer,
Modern: Just as surely as time will bring summer,

Original: When briers shall have leaves as well as thorns,
Modern: When thorny bushes will have leaves as well as sharp points,

Original: And be as sweet as sharp. We must away;
Modern: And be as pleasant as they are painful. We must leave;

Original: Our waggon is prepar’d, and time revives us:
Modern: Our wagon is ready, and time gives us new energy:

Original: All’s well that ends well: still the fine’s the crown;
Modern: All’s well that ends well: the ending is still what matters most;

Original: Whate’er the course, the end is the renown.
Modern: Whatever path we take, it’s the final outcome that brings honor.

In Act IV, Scene 4 of “All’s Well That Ends Well,” Helena arrives in Marseilles accompanied by the Widow and Diana. They encounter a Gentleman who informs them that the King of France has departed from Marseilles and is now at Rossillion. Helena reveals to the Gentleman that she is the woman who cured the King and was subsequently given permission to choose her own husband. The Gentleman recognizes her reputation and offers assistance in their journey.

Helena explains her plan to the Widow and Diana, revealing that she possesses a ring given to her by the King, which will serve as proof of her identity and story. She outlines how they will proceed to Rossillion, where she intends to confront Bertram and resolve the complicated situation surrounding their marriage. The scene establishes the final movement toward the play’s resolution, as Helena prepares to reveal herself and claim her rightful place as Bertram’s wife, armed with the evidence needed to substantiate her claims.

“All’s Well That Ends Well” follows Helena, a physician’s daughter living in the household of the Countess of Rousillon, who is deeply in love with the Countess’s son, Bertram. When the King of France falls gravely ill, Helena travels to court and offers to cure him using remedies learned from her late father. She succeeds in healing the King, who grants her any husband of her choosing as reward. Helena selects Bertram, but he reluctantly marries her and immediately departs for the wars in Italy, declaring he will never consummate the marriage until she can obtain his ancestral ring and bear his child - conditions he believes impossible to fulfill.

Helena returns to Rousillon, where she learns of Bertram’s conditions through a letter. Disguising herself as a pilgrim, she travels to Florence, where Bertram is staying and pursuing Diana, a young woman whose mother keeps a lodging house. Helena reveals her identity to Diana and her mother, proposing a bed trick: Diana will agree to meet Bertram secretly, but Helena will take her place in the darkness. During their encounter, Helena obtains Bertram’s ring and gives him another ring that the King had previously given her.

Helena spreads word of her own death and returns to France, where Bertram has come to seek a new wife with the King’s blessing. When Bertram presents Helena’s ring to his prospective bride, the King recognizes it and suspects Bertram of murdering Helena. Diana arrives and presents Bertram’s ring as proof of their relationship, leading to confusion until Helena appears, pregnant with Bertram’s child and wearing his family ring. Faced with the fulfillment of his impossible conditions, Bertram accepts Helena as his true wife, and the King promises to arrange Diana’s marriage to a suitable husband.